Phil Cooke

It doesn't surprise me. Where are the young people one might be asking and I can tell you, they are listening to their iPods. I still support our local christian radio station, my car radio is set to it, I know the people personally and help them out when they have special events and concerts, but I don't listen. I listen to my iPod. What does this say about the future of Christian radio and radio in general?  

If Christian radio has a chance to continue they are going to have to figure out how to get off the air waves and into ipods. This is a move more easily accomplished by teaching/preaching than by music stations due to the copyright restrictions of the music biz. To survive they will need to shift their thinking to the paradigm that the internet is their primary distribution method and the air waves are secondary (same goes for newspapers too). Its a transition that not many will accomplish, and it won't be pretty.

Only a few comments so far but I agree with the viewpoint each writer has expressed.

One of the drawbacks, as I see it, in the overall Christian radio industry is that its origins go back well over 50 years to a time when radio was a much more dominant player in the media culture.  Through the 60s, 70s and 80s, there was no real competition.  Any Christian music on TV was relegated to short segments on CBN or TBN; Gospel Music Television has only come into being in the last couple of years and its carriage is growing but still small.  In the 70s and 80s and even into the early 90s the only 'personal mix' option was dubbing tunes onto a cassette for your Walkman or car.  Even file-sharing, legal or illegal, is a more recent phenomenon.  'Competition' in the same radio market was rare and there was enough of the pie for everyone to have a slice.

Today, with a few exceptions such as Salem, EMF (K-LOVE) and WAY-FM, the majority of Christian stations are individually owned or parts of small regional networks.  They have been so focused on what they're doing, pushing forward with "FM-only" blinders on, that they haven't fully grasped the fantastic changes that are occuring in media, technology and consumer trends.  Sure, they have a website.  But have you seen most of them?  They suck.  Sure, the General Manager's son (or grandson) has an iPod, but he doesn't know what that means.  Sure, some do some research and marketing but to what end?  Usually, it's to find ways to try and remain competitive without having to embrace new technology or engage 'different' listeners than what they already have.

Christian stations are basically formatted in one of four ways – CHR, AC, Inspo or Talk.  While consumers' musical tastes have changed and refined, the Christian music industry has become less aggressive in presenting new styles, perferring rather to regurgitate last year's model in numbing similarity.  Change is happening in Christian music - but on the indie and boutique label level, not with the major players.  And those artists are much less dependent on Christian radio to 'make it', since their whole approach is more organic and viral.

What does that mean for Christian radio stations, regardless of format?  Less choice in programming.  Any consultant (or for that matter, the standalone PD in Whatnot, SD) will tell you to play the songs people want to hear.  Over and over and over.  That philosophy may bring some short-term ratings success (or longer-term success especially with commercial stations) but does that mean the station is meeting the needs of its listeners?  I'm not so sure.  In my experience, most people who DO listen to Christian radio regularly, the P1's in industry parlance, actually reflect a slowly diminishing percentage of the total potential audience.  'Becky', the prototypical 40-something housewife with 2 kids and a minivan, isn't the same as she was 10 or 15 years ago…if she ever really was a representation of the typical Christian radio listener.  There are so many more potential listeners who aren't anything like 'Becky', Christian radio doesn't know how to go about reaching them.  It just keeps doing the same thing, over and over.  It's like that scene in "Pleasantville" (by Gary Ross), where Bud consoles Mr. Johnson, the soda shop owner:

Mr. Johnson, the owner and proprietor is wiping down the counter.
He is a "pleasant" looking man, in his early forties wearing a
white apron and black glasses. The strains of "MISTY" get louder
as Bud lets the screen door slam behind him. 

MR. JOHNSON
(looking up)  Bud?  BUD  Sorry… I had to help my folks and then I couldn't find
my hat….  MR. JOHNSON  Oh.   He stops wiping for a moment, holding the towel in his hand.  MR. JOHNSON (CONT)  I didn't know what to do.  He stares at the rag a little troubled.  BUD  What's wrong?  MR. JOHNSON  Well–I always wipe down the counter and then you set out the napkins and glasses and then I make the french
fries….  BUD (confused)  Yeah….  MR. JOHNSON  But you didn't come so I kept on wiping.  He looks down at the towel clearly disturbed. Bud pauses for a
moment then starts toward him.  BUD  I'm sorry.  He crosses to Mr. Johnson who has polished one section of the counter right down to the wood. Bud takes the towel out of his hand and folds it neatly in front of him.  BUD (gently)  You know, if this ever happens again, you can make the fries even if I haven't put out the napkins yet.  MR. JOHNSON  I'm so glad you're here.

A lot of programming assumptions are built on research that is designed to reinforce what's already being done, just as the Christian music industry would rather mimic last year's hit with another artist than actually put time and money into developing a new one.  So another question to ask is whether the music itself helps or hinders programming?  Take A&R.  Half the people who work in Christian music don't know what the term means.  It used to be that an artist was signed for a 3-album deal, knowing that it would take some time to develop awareness and familiarity, building a story over 2 or 3 years to gain a foothold in the market.  Today?  You've got a fast-track 90-day marketing plan, your first single had better do well on R&R and other trades right out of the gate, and you'd better attract enough attention to open for a major act or you'll be back hustling cars around the Hertz parking lot faster than you can say "Hi, I'm……."  Mainstream Christian music isn't going to help Christian radio.  They just pimp each other.   

I believe the biggest impediment to Christian radio's grasping of new technology and finding additional ways to reach listeners (the internet, podcasts, internet tv, etc.) is its mindset.  The industry is only now beginning to understand how far behind the curve they are; management doesn't fully grasp the technology available; they're suspicious of 'research' and hesitant to spend money on it.  The bigger players are more adept at the technological end of things, but you'd be hard-pressed to find one that has eclectic, listener-driven programming.  Can you be all things to all people?  No.  But programmers need to revitalize their mindset to bring more diversity to their offerings and deliver content in new, non-traditional ways.  That poses a big threat, however, to the managerial and financial frameworks they have grown accustomed to over the last half century.

And let's not forget the money.  Whether a station is commercial or listener-supported, the first rule of thumb is don't rock the boat when it comes to money.  Since most business owners are middle-aged and their tastes probably don't run toward Toby Mac and Skillet, better to stick to the bland middle ground of CCM.  Since most donors to non-profit Christian radio stations or networks are middle-aged (or older), don't offend them either.  Keep it safe so you can keep the money coming in.  In fact, some of the consulting groups advising Christian non-profit stations are focusing more on squeezing more dollars out of existing (older) donors than trying to reach younger listeners.  Why?  Because most stations don't have younger listeners and those that do haven't cultivated a relationship with them that is reciprocal.  So what do many Christian stations do?  Play it safe programming-wise while giving lip service to those who want more diverse programming.  Avoid the hard questions such as, what is our mission?  What is our goal?  To minister effectively to an increasingly diverse marketplace of ideas and tastes, or play it safe and ride out our little niche market as long as we can?

Predictably, many do the lat
ter.  There will always be a few stations that play 'dollar a holler' preachers and formats like Southern Gospel that will, ironically, survive.  But mainstream Christian radio, regardless of format, will lose the incredible potential that still exists to be viable and purposeful, while fretting over lesser issues and playing it safe…in Jesus' name, of course.  

As Elizabeth Conley put it, "We listen to music a lot, but with all the choices available to us now, we won't listen to just anything. It's gotta be great!"  WE WON'T LISTEN TO JUST ANYTHING - that's the key.  Today's potential listener, regardless of age or demographic, is much more discerning and discriminating.  Christian radio can't just throw whatever it wants on the air anymore and think that 'Christians' will listen to it because it's 'Christian' content.  That method may have worked 25 or 30 years ago but no longer.  And because many stations don't have the progressive mindset, the courage, the staff or the budget to implement change, they will continue their slow fade into obscurity.

One of the very last comments made in the study results sort of sums it up for me…

"Christians want more variety and choice in Christian radio stations, particularly when it comes to music."

When I was a teenager, growing up in the Baptist Church, we were pretty much taught that we should listen to Christian Radio and music specifically because the dividing line was very clear…either music was for Jesus, (ie, Christian music), or it was againt Jesus (ie, anything played on a Radio Station that didn't represent itself as Christian based.) I struggled with this a lot as I really loved the music of groups like Chicago, Kansas, Toto, and many other bands that seemed to me to combine excellent music with lyrics that weren't vulgar or suggestive. Being an impressionable teenager, there were times that I felt really bad about listening to the music created by those groups. I always had a sense that there was really nothing wrong with it, but I was being programmed differently by Youth Workers that I really looked up to.

I struggled with this through my teens and into my early 20's until I had an in depth conversation with my father one day. He's a very wise man and his words to me that day were that I had to learn to think for myself and discover the truth for myself. Unfortunately, I had learned the skills I needed to do this in atmosphere's like High School and College, but in church circles I was always just "told" what to believe. It was at that point that I began to really dig deep to determine exactly what I did believe. About God, about music, Christian and Secular alike, and nearly every other thing that I was programmed to believe.

I'm making a short story really long here, but in essence, I find Christian Radio to be very mediocre, redundant, and me-too-ish, if you will. The mediocrity to me stems from the music that I hear when I listen. While there are some diamonds in the midst of the pack, most songs to me, are nothing to get excited about. As far as the redundancy goes, it seems to me that at least for the station in Atlanta, GA, they probably only have 50 or so songs on the play list. Couple that with the fact that every Christian "Artist" seems to think that they should cover the most popular Worship Song at the moment and things just get really monotonous. I realize that the "Artist" themselves likely aren't driving the cover of current popular music, that's the label hoping to sell more….what are those things called? CD's? Finally, to explain why I find it me-too-ish…my perception is that Christian Radio seems to try and mimic what some of the successful radio stations are doing, in hopes that they will gain listeners and find the same level of success. I realize, that is known as "Operating a Business", but I suppose it couldn't hurt to try and balance that with something that might set a station apart from the rest of the crowd.

In closing, I'm enjoying music more and more through Pandora, which is drawing on information gained through the Music Genome Project to deliver music to listeners based on their criteria. Check it out if you are interested: http://pandora.com/  

Anyone also frustrated with the extreme far right leaning of Christian talk/sermon/teaching radio.  I'm not even talking about liberal verses conservative.  It just seems Christian radio usually represents a very limit slice of the Christian perspective.  There are a lot of things Evangelicals disagree with, most of these discussions are not present on Christian radio.  Am I wrong with this?  Is there an audience out there for healthy, Bible based, Christian talk that makes room for reasonable differences in opinions?  Please don't say no. . . please. . .